Rich swarm of shooting stars from December 6th to 16th, 2024

by times news cr

Geminids

Rich swarm of ⁣shooting⁢ stars in‌ the night ⁤sky

Updated‌ 12/3/2024 – 7:00 a.mReading time: 2 min.

The shooting stars in December appear all over ‍the sky, the radiance point being the constellation Gemini. (archive image) (Source: Matthias ‍Balk/dpa/dpa-bilder)

They are part of a cosmic dust cloud. ⁤When they enter⁤ the atmosphere, the particles burn up and‍ become shooting stars – and can now be seen.

In the coming⁢ days, stargazers can hope for one of the richest meteor‍ showers ‍of the ⁣year in ​the night sky. When ​visibility is good, the Geminid shooting⁤ stars can be⁤ observed in ⁣the sky from ‍December 6th to ⁤16th.

The climax is to‍ be expected on​ the night of December ​13th to 14th, ⁤said the ⁢chairman of the Association of Star Friends ⁣based in⁣ Bensheim in southern ​hesse, Uwe Pilz, ⁣at the request of‍ the German‌ Press Agency.But shooting stars can also appear⁣ in the sky⁢ on the nights before or after.

However,‌ the weather has to cooperate for ⁤this. According to Pilz, there can be ‍another downside: At the peak of the meteor shower there is a full moon – and that can disturb the view.

“I recommend using the half hour between⁣ 6:00 a.m.and 6:30 a.m. on December 14th,” says Pilz. The earthly ⁣companion then stands low ‍and does not disturb you.”It’s also worth driving into the dark at this time.” ⁣In cities, human ‌light can interfere with‍ observations.

According to Pilz, the shooting stars appear all over the sky,⁤ with the‍ point ​of radiation being the constellation Gemini. ⁣It is indeed located high in the southwest on the​ morning of ‍December ‍14th. “If the‌ conditions are good, 30 to 40 shooting stars can be visible in that half hour.”

The reason⁣ for the⁤ Geminids’ shooting star shower is that the Earth passes through a cosmic dust cloud. This probably comes⁢ from the minor planet Phaethon, which may have broken up⁢ and left debris in its orbit ​that is​ now burning up in the Earth’s atmosphere.

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